Body And Soul

30. Darkness of Truth

Taehyung followed Jungkook's mother into her bedroom after her odd choice of words in the kitchen. Laylin had excused herself to wait upstairs in Jungkook's old room. Taehyung loitered in the doorway to Jungkook's mother's room as he watched her walk over to take a seat on the edge of her bed.

Taehyung felt that he was invading Jungkook's privacy, but at the same time there was something within him that wanted to know this backstory. He would apologize to Jungkook after all of this. Jungkook's mother looked over at him in the doorway, patting the spot on the bed next to her to signal him to come in. Taehyung entered the room, moving to sit down beside her.

"I didn't know when to tell you the truth, but I always wanted to," said Jungkook's mother as she looked at Taehyung. "I wanted you to have a happy childhood."

Taehyung could tell that she was nervous - and though she wasn't his mother - he reached out a hand to hold one of hers. She gave him a grateful smile.

"Your father and I always wanted to start a family, but I was unable to get pregnant. I thought that I would be able to get pregnant eventually if we just kept trying, but it never happened. I say he's your father, but in actuality, he never got to know you. I didn't realize that he was dying of cancer until the day he couldn't smile to hide the pain anymore and collapsed at work. He died at the hospital a few days later, and I was left on my own. I was left husbandless and childless."

Taehyung could see the tears slipping down her face, looking about the room for a box of tissues. He spotted some, dropping her hand momentarily to grab the box. He set it between them and she sent him a grateful look of thanks as she grabbed one from the box to wipe at her face.

"I fell into depression after that. I felt so alone. I lost the corporate job that I held due to this and ended up getting a job at this fish restaurant...the same one that you caught me in front of the other day. The one that I always took you to all the time when you were little. Anyway...I got a job there. Mrs. Kim was really nice and took me on. I think she saw how desperate and broken I was. I worked for her for several months before the day came where I met you."

She paused as she looked away from Taehyung to throw the tissue in her hand onto the ground.

"I was working out back in the kitchen helping to prep the dishes. Like normal, there weren't many people in the restaurant. There were only a few of the regulars loitering about and chit-chatting. My attention that day was drawn to a gussied up looking woman in the corner of the restaurant who had never been there before. There was a baby seat parked in the chair next to her and a little boy - he couldn't have been more than two - standing on the floor near it. The woman looked so out of place from a combination of the look on her face and the way she was dressed. I kept working, but kept an eye on her. I noticed she kept taking turns looking at her watch to looking at everyone in the restaurant. She acted like she was late for some sort of appointment and was nervous about being caught. I left to go out back for twenty minutes - and when I came back - it was just in time to see the woman grabbing the two year old by the wrist and leading him out of the restaurant. He was visibly upset and crying, but she kept dragging him behind her. She left the baby seat behind. I remember going straight out to the baby seat and was horrified to see she'd left her infant son behind. I tried to run out after her, but she was already long gone with her other child. I took the baby to the police station to see if they could locate the mother, but no one ever came to claim him and they couldn't trace her since she didn't leave any sort of name or use a card at the restaurant. It was like she and her child vanished into thin air. When the police contacted me and told me they couldn't find the mother and they would have to put the baby up for adoption, I told them I'd take the baby in. That baby...it saved me from my depression. Gave me something to live for again. That baby was you, Jungkook."